1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a toothbrush, to a toothbrush body and to a toothpaste container.
The toothbrush according to the invention is a toothbrush with a toothbrush body into which a toothpaste container can be inserted.
2. Description of Related Art
Toothbrushes and toothpastes are used for oral hygiene and for massaging the gums. In this way, teeth cleaning helps to keep the teeth, mouth and throat healthy. In accordance with the recommended daily usage, toothbrush users generally require a toothbrush with straightforward handling, an ergonomic design and a long service life along with the best possible cleaning action.
In respect of joint space-saving storage and transportation, for example as a travel toothbrush, but also in particular as far as straightforward handling and ergonomics are concerned, technical solutions in which a toothbrush body is connected to a toothpaste container (or vice versa) to form a toothbrush are particularly advantageous. A distinction can be made between essentially two groups of technical solutions.
The first group comprises toothbrushes in which toothpaste is conveyed through a channel which leads from a toothpaste container, through a neck of the toothbrush, to the bristle covering on the head of the toothbrush. Such articles are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,270 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,974. This group of toothbrushes proves to be very user-friendly, but entails problems in respect to the toothpaste storage. For example, an open channel end on the head of the toothbrush may result in the toothpaste drying out or running out. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,974, this problem is solved by the use of valves. The production of this embodiment, however, is complex and involves relatively high costs.
In the case of the second group of toothbrushes, the toothpaste container, for the purpose of applying the toothpaste to the bristle covering of the head, is separated from a toothbrush body of the toothbrush. Such articles are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,076 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,209. Once the toothpaste has been applied, the toothpaste container is reconnected to the toothbrush body. In contrast to the first group, there is no need for any channel in the neck of the toothbrush for guiding the toothpaste to the head.
FR-A-2658400 discloses a toothbrush in which a toothpaste tube forms an end region of the handle of the toothbrush. The toothpaste tube is fixed to a handle part, at the free end thereof, by virtue of its dispensing head being screwed into a threaded hole. Once the exposed toothpaste tube has been unscrewed, toothpaste can be applied to the bristles of a head of the toothbrush by virtue of pressure being applied to the toothpaste tube.
In contrast to a toothbrush with an exposed toothpaste tube, U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,209 describes a toothbrush in which the toothpaste container is located in a fixed, cylinder-like sleeve which is provided with a cut-out and with covers at its two ends. The stable sleeve absorbs the loading during teeth cleaning and transmits it to the head of the toothbrush via a handle part, which is fixed to it, and a neck. The cut-out comprises part of the sleeve and a slot-like part in the cover directed toward the handle part. The cut-out serves, on the one hand, for inserting the toothpaste container into the sleeve and, on the other hand, for applying pressure to the flexibly elastic toothpaste container, and thus squeezing out the toothpaste, using a finger, which can engage through the cut-out in the sleeve. A releasable connection between the handle part and the toothpaste container enclosed by the sleeve is ensured by virtue of a thread on the dispensing head of the toothpaste container, said thread engaging through the cut-out part in the cover, interacting with a threaded hole in the free end of the handle part of the toothbrush. However, the screw connection proves to be impractical in terms of handling for everyday use.
The object is thus to provide a toothbrush with a toothpaste container which is easy to insert and remove, has a straightforward construction with a minimal number of individual parts and is cost-effective to produce.